Nicolas Flamel

The subject of this article is of a real-life person, place, group, company, product, or creative work that has been mentioned "in-universe" in a canon source. The Harry Potter Wiki is written from the perspective that all information presented in canon is true (e.g., Hogwarts really exists), and, as such, details contained in this article may differ from real world facts.

Eye colour

Skin colour

Family information

Family members

Affiliation

Occupation

Loyalty

"Nicolas Flamel is an historical character. Flamel lived in France in the fourteenth century and is supposed to have discovered how to make a philosopher's stone. There are mentions of sightings of him through the centuries because he was supposed to have gained immortality. There are still streets named after Flamel and his wife Perenelle in Paris."

Contents

Biography

In his youth, Nicolas attended Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in the Pyrenees Mountains of France, and it was at Beauxbatons that he met Perenelle, his future wife.[3] It is said that he later funded both the castle and the grounds, and a fountain on the grounds was named after the couple.[3]

Flamel is noted as an alchemist of considerable talent and as an opera-lover. It is said he enjoyed his later years living a quiet life in Devon.[4] Although it is clear that he used the Elixir to greatly extend his life, it is not specified whether he used the Stone's powers to make himself greatly wealthy, as the Stone is also capable of turning any metal into gold.

The danger of the Stone's existence was brought to light when Voldemort, with the help of Hogwarts ProfessorQuirinus Quirrell, was nearly successful in stealing it for the purpose of restoring Voldemort to physical form. However, his plan was thwarted by the efforts of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. Flamel agreed, along with Dumbledore, that the stone should be destroyed. With enough Elixir to set his affairs in order, it was expected that Flamel and his wife would die shortly thereafter. Harry took the news as terrible, but Dumbledore told him that their deaths would be like "going to bed after a very, very long day".[5]

Magical skills and abilities

Alchemy: Nicolas Flamel was a very accomplished alchemist, possibly the greatest in history, as he had created the holy grail of alchemy — the Philosopher's Stone. With this, he rendered himself and his wife immortal until he chose to destroy the stone in 1992.

Nicolas Flamel was a real French scribe believed in legend to have been an alchemist who created the Philosopher's Stone. He was born about 1330 and died in 1418. There is no proof that the historical Flamel achieved immortality with his wife Perenelle, though a few have claimed to have seen him throughout the centuries, or that he was even involved in alchemy at all. Some treasure-hunters accidentally dug up his grave and discovered that his tomb was empty. Another goal of Nicolas Flamel according to the legend was to turn ordinary lead into pure gold. The reference to Flamel marks one of the few occasions in which a real person has been referenced as a character in the Potter books.

Nicolas was the first known Beauxbatons student introduced in the series, though the fact that he attended Beauxbatons was only revealed on Pottermore.

Author's comments

J. K. Rowling admitted that several months into the writing of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone she had a highly detailed and exceptionally vivid dream about Flamel, which was like "a renaissance painting come to life". Flamel was leading her around his cluttered laboratory, which was bathed in golden light, and showing exactly how to make the Stone.[7]

External links

Notes and references

↑ 1.01.11.2Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 13 (Nicolas Flamel) - "Mr Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight)." Note the book being quoted is described to be old in 1992, so she and her husband are in fact older.

↑ 2.02.1Rowling stated on her website shortly before the publication of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that Nicolas had died by the start of the book, which makes their date of deaths between 1992 when the stone was destroyed and 1996 which is when the sixth book starts.